1.1 - The Political Nation & the Social Basis of Power Flashcards
James I
reigned from 1603 - 25
became king James VI of Scotland in 1567 and succeeded Elizabeth I, the last Tudor monarch, becoming king of England.
successful ruler, pragmatic and recognised the need to work with parliament.
Charles I
reigned 1625 - 49
younger son of James I and became heir to the throne aged 11 when his brother Henry, who was thought of as the model prince, died.
he was unprepared for the role and had a bad relationship with parliament.
Charles II
reigned 1660 - 85
eldest son of Charles I, he spent his formative years in exile in Europe before restoring the thrown.
sociable and pragmatic like James I.
James II
reigned 1685 - 88
Charles II’s younger brother, he was stubborn and had catholic views which ultimately led to a revolution against him.
William III and Mary II
William III reigned 1689 - 1701
Mary II reigned 1689 - 94
Mary was the eldest daughter of James II who had married William of orange, a dutch protestant.
they were invited to take over from James II in order to protect protestantism.
what does Jacobean mean?
the time of rule of Elizabeth and James
what does prerogative mean?
the power of the crown, derived from the idea that the Devine right to rule is given by god to monarchs.
what did a monarchs prerogative give them power to do?
Led PN through prerogative
Foreign diplomacy
Declaration of war
Legislation (through right to call & recap p)
Religion (as supreme governor of Church of England)
what were the main forms of crown income?
crown lands - the crown had rented so much land at a fixed rent so could not update it in line with inflation.
customs duties - taxes from goods imported into the country, they could also sell the right to collect them.
feudal dues - the crown had the right to control an estate when the heir who inherited it was under 21.
parliamentary subsides - funds approved by parliament for emergencies such as war.
why was parliament reluctant to grant subsidies to the monarchs?
the funds would have to be raised by taxing the political nation and MPs tended to represent only those who had voted for them (the political nation) so both were reluctant to grant subsidies.
what were the limitations on the power of the monarch?
- income (it could not always meet their expenses)
- parliament could limit subsidies (they had control of financial resources)
- they relied on the political nation to run local governments and enforce law
- nobility is needed to supply an army
- the power of the pope.
However these factors prevented an absolutist monarchy from occurring.
who were the political nation?
Those with political, social & economic influence were the aristocracy and lesser gentry (whose status was based on land ownership)
Lawyers, merchants & urban growth also became a significant force in PN
what were the requirements to becoming part of the PN?
they had to have an annual income of 40shillings (£2) as this is what it cost to vote
how were MPs chosen?
they were selected rather than elected by agreement amongst the PN, particularly by those who headed the PN in a local area. these men who were towards the top of the PN were more likely to hold positions of national importance.
who were the non land owning elects to the PN?
Workers in:
Church
Medicine
Surveying
Music
Architecture
Visual arts
how id the monarch rely on the PN?
Help to control the general population as the monarch had no force of civil service to impose his will
Justices of the peace: enforce crown will in localities
Collected taxes
Trials
Training militia
Law enforcement
What actions of Elizabeth caused the king long term problems?
Habit of ignoring political problems and leaving James to deal with them
Didn’t reform financial system
No clear toleration/ unacceptable of different religious groups
What was the increase in population between 1500 & 1650?
And what was the effect of this?
Doubled to 4 million
Inflation (rich get richer & charged higher prices. Not opposed to great chain of being)
Food shortage (1620s harvest failures cause famine & death)
Land shortage
Unemployment
Increase in reliance on state for poor relief
what is patriarchalism?
a popular 17th century belief that god gave power to fathers and that male monarchs could be seen as fathers of their people. This concept was used to reenforce obedience to the king.
what is the great chain of being?
Social ladder
Ordered society set in place by God
Paternalism: fartherly duty of those above to help those below in society
Monarch
PN
Rest of population:
Aristocracy
Lesser gentry
Newer groups (lawyers, merchants,)
Urban workers
Peasants
what does paternalist mean?
the idea that it is the fatherly duty of those above others in society to look after the interests of those beneath them.
what imbalance was there in societal power?
Minorities had most power
Majority almost none at all
what was the positives and negatives associated with the constitution?
The constitution is unwritten that was a mix of parliamentary laws, the common law, documents and tradition and custom.
This meant that it was open to interpretation so the political system could become blurred
However, it did allow for more compromise
what is patronage?
political success was based establishing a network of support, patrons were able to move their way up to gain more power and influence
